Grand River (Michigan)
| Grand River | ||
 The Grand River within Grand Rapids |
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| Data | ||
| location | Michigan (USA) | |
| River system | Saint Lawrence River | |
| Drain over | St. Clair River → Detroit River → Niagara River → Saint Lawrence River → Atlantic Ocean | |
| source |
Jackson County 42 ° 5 ′ 12 ″ N , 84 ° 25 ′ 21 ″ W. |
|
| muzzle | in Lake Michigan coordinates: 43 ° 3 '27 " N , 86 ° 15' 6" W 43 ° 3 '27 " N , 86 ° 15' 6" W. |
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| Height difference | 213 m | |
| Bottom slope | 0.51 ‰ | |
| length | 420 km | |
| Catchment area | 14,431 km² | |
| Drain |
MQ |
108 m³ / s |
| Left tributaries | Thornapple River | |
| Right tributaries | Looking Glass River , Maple River , Flat River , Rogue River | |
| Big cities | Lansing , Grand Rapids | |
| Medium-sized cities | Jackson | |
 Location of the Grand River in Michigan |
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The Grand River is a 420 km long river in the US state of Michigan . It flows through the cities of Jackson , Lansing , Grand Rapids , and Grand Haven before flowing into Lake Michigan .
River system
The Grand River drains a catchment area of 14,431 km². It has an average of 108 m³ / s and has several dams along its course. It has its source in Jackson County and is the longest river in Michigan. Large parts of the river basin are flat and contain many swamps and lakes. Nevertheless, there is a height difference of 213 m between the source and the mouth. The river is populated by trout and salmon for much of its course .
Tributaries include the Red Cedar River , Looking Glass River , Maple River , Flat River , Thornapple River, and the Rogue River .
History, importance as a traffic route
The Grand River was an important transportation route for the Indians of North America . It was called O-wash-ta-nong (far water) because of its length . Likewise for researchers and settlers on their way through the lower peninsula of Michigan. With the expansion of the roads, railways and canals in the region, it lost this importance.
The river also played a role as a line of demarcation when the Indians ceded territory to the United States. In 1821 the Ottawa , Anishinabe and Potawatomi ceded all areas south of the river , with the exception of various small reservations , in the Treaty of Chicago .
Today a river steamer with 500 passenger seats serves the river from Lansing.
